Anything For You
by Our Solemn Hour
Summary: Can you forget the world you thought you knew? Please release me. Close your eyes. Ironhide/OC
1. Chapter 1

This is my firs Transformers fic, sorry in advance if everything seems… screwy.

…………………..

I pressed my forehead against the cool metal frame of the public bus and sightlessly watched the city pass by through the open window. How did I end up here? I'm twenty years old for the love of everything good and holy! I shouldn't be troubling my family like this! I sighed. Getting mad at myself wasn't going to make the bus turn around and bring me back now would it? I glanced down at the crinkled scrap of paper I'd nearly crushed to death. Scribbled onto it was an address. This would lead me to my temporary lodgings.

And I didn't like the idea one bit. Again I sighed as the bus pulled into its station.

…………………….

The station wasn't too crowded, but I still felt lost amongst the people bustling about. My old trusty backpack rested on one shoulder while two large suitcases sat loyally at my feet. I checked the clock on the wall, 3:43. My aunt should've been here an hour ago. I was about to hunt for a payphone when I heard someone call out to me.

"Tani!"

I glanced over my shoulder. My aunt, Sarah, came running at me holding my cousin in her arms. She smothered me into her body, the only thing I could see other then the fabric of her shirt was the mostly toothless grin of little Anna as she looked at me. Oh to be so young and unaware again.

………………..

Topkick. A freakin' GMC Topkick. That doesn't exactly scream 'safe, family vehicle' in my mind. I stared at the imposing black truck. It was like a giant metal devil here to suck out my very soul, I barely made it passed the headlights on this beast and she wants me to climb INTO it?!

"Sarah, are you sure it's _safe_ to put ourselves into the mercy of this beast?"

My aunt laughed as she closed the back door, having just strapped Anna into her car seat.

"I promise, Tani. You're uncle's truck handles like a dream and is the safest thing on these roads." She patted the truck's side as she spoke, as if to praise the damn thing.

I grunted, but climbed into it anyway.

…………..

The ride out of the city was relatively quiet, which I was thankful for yet also cursing. Quiet meant silence and silence meant memories could return. And they did. The events that lead me here, that dragged me away from the collage I was, or had been attending, I should say. I'd been in class when we got the first warning; there were students armed with guns in the building. You know how you hear all those stories on the news but never think it'll happen to you? Well that's kinda how those first ten minutes were. Classmates saying things like 'are they for real?' or 'that's impossible'. Well it was very possible. It was also very possible that one of the shooters had come into my biology class and started shooting off round after round.

The professor had been shot in the shoulder and a couple others received minor wounds, including myself. I winced slightly as the shot wound in my upper left arm made itself known one more time. One girl had been killed though. She was a sweet girl who'd come from China for a few years study. I could still see the bullet going through her neck. I shut my eyes tight, trying to will away the image. My heart pounded inside my ribcage as the adrenaline pumped through my veins. I didn't want to think about what she'd gone through in those few moments. The whole thing had lasted two hours. Many had been wounded in some way and the death count was in the double digits, but I couldn't remember the exact number.

The school had been shut down for some time and most of the student body sent home. My parents had died a few years back, leaving me with what little savings they'd had, so the authorities had contacted my aunt and uncle. So now here I was, riding in a monster truck with a two year old happily kicking the back of my seat. Will was still on some kind of official government duty so I'd be living with Sarah and Anna for an unknown amount of time.

Will and Sarah's home was beautiful. Set in a quiet neighborhood, but not someplace that felt too spacious. Sarah brought Anna into the house while I grabbed my bags out of the demon-truck. I slammed the door shut and for a moment I thought I heard it grunt. I shook my head.

"Trucks do NOT grunt, Tani. This is just some form of post-stress. It's making me hear inanimate objects make sounds."

I nodded to myself reassuringly, then lifted my bags and marched into the house determined to make the best of this situation.

Little did I know that the grunting truck was more than just a large metal demon.

…………

Two weeks later….

That's it! I was going crazy! I HAD to be! Not only was I cooped up indoors most of the time, mainly due to a lack of job, but whenever I was near that Topkick I swear it made noises. I'm starting to get the feeling that it's even _watching _me. Uncle Will returned from base a few days back and he kept insisting that I was just imagining that Ironhide, yes, Ironhide, he'd NAMED the thing, was making sounds.

It was early evening now. Sarah and Will had gone out to dinner while I babysat Anna. I didn't mind, I love kids. Plus it gave them some much deserved alone time. I stood in front of the gigantic truck wearing my pajamas, fuzzy slippers an' all, looking it head-on. I felt like he was sizing me up as well. I'd taken to calling the truck 'he' since Ironhide doesn't exactly come across as something you'd name your daughter.

"So, Ironhide." Great, I'd sunk to a new low, talking to trucks. "Why do you make noises at me? Do you want to put me in the coocoo house?"

No response. Not that I was really expecting one.

"I swear the neighbors probably think I'm some kind of whack job by now!" I threw my arms up as I spoke, walking around the GMC as I did.

The military vehicle seemed to rock, as if laughing at me.

I rubbed my eyes. I didn't see that, I didn't see that. I kicked the truck's tire before storming back into the house. Anna had gone to bed without a fuss so I turned on the telly while I made some good ol' fashioned ramen noodles. The news was on and I couldn't help but get sucked into the story.

"_And in other news; there's been an attack in London. Locals claim to have seen 'giant robotic-like aliens' but authorities say these claims are baseless, however the damage is extensive."_

The camera showed the leveled city. It certainly looked like something had attacked it. Maybe a terrorist attack? An engine revving reached my ears. Hesitantly I walked over to the window. The devil-truck sat silently in the driveway.

"I'm watching you, Ironhide."

I grabbed my bowl of noodles from the microwave and plopped down on the overstuffed sofa.

…………………..

Crappy start, yes. But I LOVE Ironhide and there aren't enough stories based on him


	2. Chapter 2

Wow. I'm amazed at how quickly this story got some watches. It's going to be fast-paced though.

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I sucked in my cookie mint chiller from Gloria Jean's violently. Stern blue eyes stared down at me. Will had brought a friend from the military home to meet me a while back, his name was Cayden. Cayden was grumpy, stern and kinda scary. He'd been spending a lot of time here lately and I couldn't on my life figure out why. Cay stood about half a foot taller than me and with the larger build he was quite imposing. I stood before him, sipping my cold drink through the straw, just staring up at him. He arched an eyebrow when I neither spoke nor moved aside.

"You gonna let me in or what kid?"

"Will isn't home."

"I know that."

I kept on slurping my chiller, which was starting to turn into a chunk of chocolate ice in the cup. He sighed in exasperation and effortlessly he grabbed hold of my waist, lifted me up, and placed me to the side before waltzing into the Lennox estate. I stood dumbfounded for a moment that he'd lifted me as easily as a child playing with a Barbie doll then scuttled after him.

"Hey, ya big jerk!" I yelled after him, still clutching the precious remains of my chiller.

Cay was in the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge. For as much foraging as he did, I don't think I've ever once seen him eat.

"The hell was that for?! You couldn't have asked politely for me to move?!"

"Nope."

I growled to myself. He always managed to enrage me easily and I think he took some personal pleasure in it.

"Tani."

I snapped out of my own thoughts. "Wha?"

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head slightly. "You weren't paying attention to a damn thing I just said, were you?"

"You were speaking?"

Those piercing eyes lowered at me. It was like standing in front of the devil-truck. Though I think I'd much rather be inside Ironhide then be in the same room as Cayden.

"I said Will is going to be leaving again soon."

"Yeah, I know. Sarah's taking Anna to New York to see her parents soon too."

"Will's asked me to stay here and watch you."

I chocked on a chunk of cookie-ice. What?! Will wanted me babysat?! Did he think I was unable to care for myself? I mean, yeah I was claiming that the Topkick was a demon in disguise but other than that I think I've managed to keep the majority of my sanity. I coughed as the ice melted in the back of my throat.

"What?! Why?!" I screamed.

Cayden ran a hand through his short dark brown hair. "Cause there's more going on then you know."

And with that he left.

…………………

Alone. I was completely and utterly alone. Well, except for that pile of muscle-mass sitting on the sofa watching the news like a hawk sizing up a rabbit for dinner. Another large attack was being reported, just like that one in London some time ago. Cayden was quite engrossed by the report. I came out of the kitchen with two cups of coffee. He didn't even register me sitting down until I spoke.

"Do think there are robots attacking these cities?" I asked.

He jumped slightly but quickly recovered. "I think it's a load of nonsense."

"You seemed quite interested in that nonsense just a minute ago."

He grunted and went back to watching the news. And to think I got saddled with this guy for the next two freaking weeks. Great.

…………….

Tani's log: Day 3 of Cayden-sitting

Perhaps I'm being overly paranoid, which is possible. But I think Cayden is in league with the devil-truck. It's his perch, his castle. Wherever the truck is so is he and vice versa. I got a job though, which makes me happy. It means I can get away from him for a couple hours out of the day. But he insists on picking me up. Grrr.

Tani's log: Day 8

I'm starting to believe all those people who claim that the military covers up everything important. Cayden's higher-up stopped by yesterday. An older guy, probably late thirties if I had to take a guess, short black hair and the same vibrant blue eyes as Cayden. He had a nicer face though then that grump. He smiled pleasantly when I met him and even talked to me a bit. But once I left, he and Cayden started talking in hushed voices. Something about a seeker? What's a seeker and why is it important?

Cayden stormed into the house, obvious pissed off. He pulled the gun he kept with him out as he walked through the house and into the backyard. I heard the shot followed by a loud bang. I winced. Collage memories came back as I ran out back. Cayden was making Swiss cheese out of the trees.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" I shouted. "You trigger happy moron!"

He whipped around so fast it was almost inhuman.

"Call out of work for the next few days."

"What? Why?"

"Because I told you to! You're not to leave this house without me or go out after dark."

I felt my anger grow as he put the gun back into its holster.

"Excuse me? Do you think you can just barge into my home and tell me what to do?! I'm not part of whatever you and my uncle are doing in the military!"

"You might be. Whether you like it or not, your uncle is in the military and that puts you in a position."

Position?

"What about Anna and Sarah? Are they in the same 'position' as I am?" I was still mad with him.

He stood there staring at me for a moment, not saying anything. An eerie silence fell between us; me not knowing what to say and him selecting his words. Eventually he simply grunted and walked off. Well that was informative.

……………..

Cayden came back that night like he'd been doing since I was left to keep my own company. I didn't bring up the conversation we'd had earlier, lord knows Cayden has a temper and my yelling more than likely had set it off before. He took up his place on the sofa, news on. More reports. Why was he so interested in them? Granted the magnitude of the attacks was enough to grab anyone's attention, but watching him, it was like he knew something vital. I stood in the doorway of the kitchen leaning against the frame, cup of coffee in my hands. My eyes darted back and forth between the television and Cayden. He was tense, like the way your father gets when watching his favorite football team during playoffs. My eyes grazed over him and I felt a light heat rise in my face.

"Cayden? Cayden what's… what's a seeker?"

"Where did you hear of that?" he never took his eyes off the screen but his voice was stern.

Timidly I gazed at the floor. "I overheard you talking about it with that guy this morning."

I heard the couch sigh as he got up, freeing it from his weight. The shadow from his height overcame me as he stood before me. Suddenly his hand came underneath my chin and forced me to look him in the eyes. The heat came back to my face under the force of those miraculous blue eyes. He studied me, searching for something before releasing my face.

"Perhaps it would be best if we let you in on a few things."

…………

Tani's log: Day… oh damn. I don't even know anymore.

I sat on the playground swing, slowly rocking myself back and forth. Children ran around laughing without a care with their parents watching attentively over them. My head was spinning so much. Just a few days ago I was the victim of a terrible shooting at a school who'd been sent home to recover for a few with her family and military babysitter. Now? Now I was a school shooting victim with a military babysitter who happened to be fighting a war with an ancient race of people. I know there'd been a lot of information id not been told. There were things that didn't make sense or add up. Cayden had shown me two symbols, one being the side he fought on and the other being the enemies. He'd convinced me to not return to college and told me to be wary of jets and helicopters. I couldn't get him to tell me why. I was introduced to a very nice young couple. Their names are Sam and Mikaela. They also seemed to know more than they were saying. For whatever reason I didn't much care for Sam's bright yellow Camaro. It was just like the Topkick. It felt like it was watching me. I shook it off. The sun was starting to set and if I wasn't home before dark Cayden would have a hissy fit about it.

Speaking of Cayden, we'd…. I don't know. Connected? Recently. Since that night I didn't mind him being around so much. He still shot holes through the tree trunks whenever he got a call from base and his temper was just a short as ever, but it was amusing in a way.

The lock clicked as I shut the door to my home. The news was on again and the place smelt of food?

"Tani?" a gruff voice called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, it's me Cayden." I slipped off my shoes and headed for the kitchen.

The military weapons specialist stood over the counter, covered in ravioli.

"What the hell?"

He glared at me. "Don't you say a word, kid."

I wouldn't, I was too busy laughing. He looked like the microwave had puked on him.

………….

K, more later. J


	3. Chapter 3

Holy crappers. I don't even have a real sense of direction for this story yet everyone seems to like it. Lol.

………………..

One month later…

SHANGHAI?! Why?! I stood frozen in my small kitchen. I'd gotten a decent sized apartment closer to the city sometime ago but it hadn't stopped Cayden's guardianship duties. No, he spent many a night here. Though I'd wake up and he'd be gone, but ol' Ironhide would still be in the driveway. I couldn't figure out how that worked. Yeah, apparently the Topkick wasn't my uncle's after all. It was Cayden's. Now here I stood in my itty bitty kitchen, staring down at the chopped up bits of carrots. Cayden and his team were being dispatched to Shanghai for an undisclosed amount of time. I've only known the brute for two months but now I can't imagine what it'll be like without him. Will he be alright? Will he come back to me in a body bag?!

So many horrible thoughts and situations were going on inside my head that I lost touch with reality until I was pulled into the warmth. The warmth being Cayden's chest, one arm holding me to him.

"You've got that face."

I pouted. "What face?"

"_That_ face."

"There's no face! This is my face."

He laughed to himself and held me closer. "I'll be fine, Tani." He planted a quick kiss on the top of my head and a light blush came over me. Would I ever get used to his small tokens of affection? Would I ever know them again?

"But that's what everyone says, then next thing ya know- KABLOOY!" I imitated an explosion with my hands.

He laughed again and ruffled my hair. "Yeah, but _I'm _the one makin' the kablooy."

"But still."

"Shh." Another light peck on my temple. "I'll be back before you know it. Sam's getting ready to head to the east coast for college."

Hope he doesn't have the same experience that I did.

"But Mikaela's staying here. Why don't you visit her in my absence?"

I sighed. I could use some girl time. My aunt was great and the older women I worked with in the local bookstore were awesome, but the generation gap was strongly felt. Mikaela was only a few years younger than I, so we got along pretty well. Maybe I should take Cayden up on that offer. I lowered my head in defeat.

"Alright, Cayden. You win."

"I always win." He whispered into my ear. I shudder ran down my spine from the heat of his breath.

……………….

Maybe this was a bad time? I poked my head through the garage doorway. Mikaela was on her cell, going on about getting stood up for a web-cam date. Wouldn't want to be in Sam's place. She smiled at me and beckoned me in with her arm. I stood off to the side examining some of the odd tools in the shop. I didn't know crap about cars let alone what half these tools were for or called. Oh look! I found a wrench! I know what that this! Mikaela suddenly became very quiet. I looked over my shoulder, she was just talked in a hushed voice, but she had a concerned look on her face. Again that feeling that I wasn't being told something crept back. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe Sam's just having a rough time adjusting to eastern coast weather or something? I heard a loud 'snap' suddenly. I jumped a little at the sharp sound. I didn't think anything of it; Sam had said once that the garage had a mouse problem. At least, that's what I thought it was.

The younger brunette inched quietly towards where the snap had come from holding what I could only describe as the Jaws of Life and a blow torch. There was an awkward scream then someone shouting 'is that the best you got?!'. My curiosity got the better of me and I crossed the room. Mikaela had caught a… an I don't really know what the hell it is. It looked like an RC truck toy, but it had a face! Did I suddenly get dropped into a Jim Henson-based world where trucks have personalities and call women bitches? Was I over tired? Did someone slip LSD into my coffee this morning? Was I dreaming?

"What're you doing here?!" she bellowed at the little thing and blew an eye off with the blow torch.

The truck creature screamed out before lashing back at Mikaela. "That was my friggen eye you dumb bitch!"

"Mikaela!" I barked and ran over to them. "I don't know what the hell that thing is!" I pointed to the RC. "But I doubt it deserved to have its eye blasted clean off like that."

"OH! Thank you, oh Merciful Goddess!" the small dark blue truck put what I guess served as its hands into a prayer-like position. I arched an eyebrow. I'd been called a lot of things throughout my life but that certainly wasn't one of them.

"Tani you don't know what you're saying. This little freak-" she slammed it harder against the rack she'd pinned it to "doesn't merit any mercy from us."

"Well what _is_ it first off."

"He's a Decepticon." Again the blow torch was raised to the RC. "Now what're you here for?"

Decepticon?

"The shard! The piece of the cube!" poor thing was frantic as it watched, with its only remaining eye, the flame inching closer. "The Fallen commands it of me! I'll be scrap if I don't get it! Gimme the shard Warrior Goddess!"

"No."

She locked the whatever it is inside a tool box then grabbed her phone again.

"Mikaela, what's going on?" I watched the box rock violently as the RC tried to get out.

"Right now we've got to get to Sam. Pack only what you absolutely need. We've got a plane to catch."

"We? What's this 'we'? There is no 'we'! YOU dragged ME into whatever it is you're into!"

………………

More later. K? J


	4. Chapter 4

Wow, just wow. I'm amazed that so many people seem to like this story and Tani, normally OCs get crapped on XD

……………

The flight cross country as ok, I was too busy trying to focus on what the hell had just happed and what exactly a Decepticon was to remember that I had a fear of heights and flying. However the taxi driver drove like a madman and I was all too eager to jump out of the back seat and throw myself onto the sturdiness that was land. Mikaela hoisted the metal tool box from the trunk and set the pace as she headed towards Sam's dorm. I had to run to catch up.

"You mind filling me in on a few things here, girl?!" I asked in a hushed voice.

The only explanation id managed to establish thus far was that there was an alien race living on our planet, which with the RC kicking the tool box provided enough proof of that, which were capable of transforming into almost anything. There were two branches of their kind; Autobots and Decepticons. She'd drawn their symbols and I recognized them from when Cayden had shown me them. Cayden was an Autobot? When id asked her about that she didn't respond, only saying that was something I'd have to see for myself.

"You'll find out as we go."

………….

Girls that turn into cyber-things?! What the hell?! Seriously, what the bloody hell?! My heart pounded as we ran into the library. Sam's roommate was having a painicattack beside me while I was hyperventilating. Mikaela and Sam were arguing between the bookcases. It wasn't long before the front door was blown clean off and people started screaming. I ducked down and started breathing heavily. My own past experiences were coming back. The shooting, people dying. The dark-skinned boy grabbed my wrist and pulled me along. Sam and Mikaela were doing their best to dodge the blasts.

We bolted out the door, there were cries of 'it's a bomb' coming from those both inside and out. And in some way I almost wish it had been. We ran for a car, any car. Mikaela pulled out the wires and tried to start it.

"You know how to hotwire a car? That's so hot." I smacked the kid upside the head. "Ow!"

"Would you focus more on keeping your ass from getting fried then on her ability to commit auto theft?!"

Sam chuckled and I thought I heard him whisper 'no wonder Ironhide likes her' to Mikaela. What did any of this have to do with the Topkick? I'd worry about it later. Right now I was more concerned about the elongated tongue that had just broken through the windshield and was thrashing wildly about. I screamed along with the boys as Mikaela drove and slammed the cyber-thing into a lamp post.

"What the hell was that?!" the kid beside me screamed.

"The baby." Sam said moments before the car was lifted by a large black helicopter. Was this what Cayden meant about being cautious around aircraft? All I know is that we were dropped. I clutched the back of the passenger seat for my life as all our screams mixed. The car shattered a glass roof before landing, setting off the airbags. It was only a miracle that allowed us to walk away from that with only inconsequential cuts and bruises. Robots. Giant freakin robots. Why couldn't we've been kidnapped by Mothra? At least if it was a huge moth we could distract it with a flashlight or something! Red optics watched us like a hawk. I felt frozen to the walkway we'd crash landed on.

"Come here, boy!" it bellowed.

His voice easily shook the foundation of the building, his large size causing him to hunch over slightly from the cramped space he'd squeezed himself into. We watched as Sam hesitantly walked down a flight of stairs, hands up like a wanted criminal. Mikaela grabbed hold of the railing so tightly her knuckles turned white. Sam was pinned down roughly to a table. Another smaller Decepticon, smaller then the RC, that looked more like bug than anything else crawled all over him. I wanted to laugh at the specs it wore, even more so when it called itself a doctor. It prodded Sam's mouth as he tried to reason with the twenty some-odd foot robot. Needless to say his pleas fell on deaf ears… if it even has ears. Somewhere, maybe. I don't know! The doctor stuck what looked like a shrimp-bot into Sam's mouth. The tentacles poked out from his nose and mouth, flailing madly. I dry-heaved, trying not to puke.

"Brain on table! Chop chop!!" it squeaked after it pulled the shrimp out of Sam.

"What does he mean by my brain?!" Sam screamed.

We all screamed as a Barbie-sized buzz saw came dangerously close to Sam's cranium. But before it could cut into his skull the roof was smashed in and one wall got knocked out. Two more robots had joined the party.

"Oh my god! They're like cockroaches! They're EVERYWHERE!" I shrieked.

……………

I love Tani. She's so much fun to write.


	5. Chapter 5

You guys make me happy with your reviews and watches :3

**Marie Vulffe****: **don't worry; Ironhide won't be as OOC as I unintentionally made him be earlier. It's that hardass personality that makes me love him so much X3 Sorry you don't like Tani's name, I just hate using overly common names (plus I got a love of unique ones). But thank you for a detailed review! It's always nice to get one of those!

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Gunfire and lots of it. Mikaela, Leo and I took off running as a hailstorm of shots took off around us. Sam leaped from the table he'd been forced upon and made a run for it. I was frightened. I just wanted to curl up into fetal position chanting 'there's no place like home' over and over until I got a good sparkle witch in a sugarplum pink dress. Alas that didn't happen. What had happened to my world? It used to be sane and normal. Now I'm running for my life with three kids from giant robots. The force of the blasts was enough to make us fall a few times. I couldn't help but watch as the large red and blue one shot rockets out of its guns. We'd just managed to get outside when said robot jumped out of the window.

"Sam!" it cried. I stood flabbergasted as I watched with my own eyes as it turned into a semi.

"How the flying monkeys did-" Sam pulled me into the semi with him and it quickly sped off.

"Don't freak out, don't freak out. It's okay!" I was having a panic attack inside the robo-semi and Sam's encouragement wasn't helping at all.

"Sam! You better tell me what the frig is going on or so help me!" I shrieked, trying to get my breathing back to normal, which I didn't see happening anytime in the near future.

"You just got dragged into a war." He started.

"A war?"

"Yes. Between the Autobots and the Decepticon. Optimus here is the leader of the Autobots." He patted the dashboard. "He won't hurt you." Guess he noticed my skeptical look.

"I don't care if he has a pet bunny! E.T. wants to phone home NOW!"

Our conversation was cut short. Before I knew what was going on, the semi began to shift into odd angles and positions with Sam and me inside it! When Optimus had fully transformed another robot attacked from behind.

"Run!" he called out. Sam and I darted between the trees trying to avoid upturned roots and any other form of shrubbery that would be more hazardous than helpful. A fallen tree provided us with sanctuary. Dirt flew up in waves as bullet after bullet hit the ground. Optimus suddenly went sailing through the air like a Frisbee, landing on his arse. I flinched. That couldn't have felt pleasant.

"Get up!" Sam yelled as we started running again.

"Is the continuation of our race not worth the life of one lowly human?" the Decepticon from the warehouse asked.

Optimus got up, fire in his optics. "You'll never stop at one!"

And the battle took up again. Sam and I coward behind our log as the big guy took on the Decepticons. I had to admit, I admired his valor. My adrenaline surged through my veins, I wanted to run for the hills and look up the nearest therapist but I wanted to stay as well. I watched the battle from between the roots. My respect grew for the Autobot leader as he nailed one square in the jaw. If it wasn't for the fact that my very life was on the line right now, this would've made one kickass fight to watch. All I needed was a bowl of popcorn and foamy finger.

My heart stopped when the blade went through his chest. Even though he was a robot and no blood came gushing out like every other Hollywood movie, I felt horrified at the sight. The shot in the back didn't help either. Sam and I could only look on in horror as his body fell only feet from our hiding spot. The light blue glow of his eyes began to flicker and grow dull.

"Run." Was the last thing he said before the light went out. I placed a hand over my open mouth as my eyes began to sting. The look on Sam's face was enough to break anyone's heart. The world stood still for a brief moment while the two of us stood forlorn before the body of Optimus before we took off running. I followed Sam up a hill. There was a cry of 'Autobots attack' and more gunfire. Looking up I was greeted by more robot people but kept by Sam's side. A large black one with huge cannons attached to its arms stopped momentarily and looked at me with shock.

"Tani?!" It yelled.

I climbed into the yellow Camaro with the others. One cried for us to get out of here and the Camaro sped off with such speed I was temporarily thrown back into the seat. The Autobots followed after us as the Decepticons retreated. My head was spinning, heart pounding. My breathing was labored as I ran a hand threw my knotted brown hair. So many questions ran through my head at breakneck speed. How did that robot know my name? How the hell did I get mixed up into this giant robot civil war? I slumped against the black leather seat and the world went black.

………………………

I woke up to voices, one I knew to be Sam's and I think the other belonged to that kid Leo. The others I couldn't place but the dialect they spoke in was obnoxious. Opening my eyes i was greeted by sky. I moaned and pinched the bridge of my nose as I sat up from my laying position in the grass. The motion made me sick and I shut my eyes to keep the world from spinning. There were arms supporting me, keeping me from falling over while I steadied myself. I glanced up when I felt it was safe. Mikaela. Her face was dirty and she looked concerned.

"Are you okay?" she asked in a hush voice.

I grunted.

"That depends on your interpretation of the word 'okay'. Is the ride over yet?"

Looking up I saw two new robots. Honestly they looked kinda like monkeys, one sported a gold tooth. They both grinned awkwardly at me and waved. My breathing quickened again.

"Oh god, it's not." I backed up in an ungainly fashion on my hands and hit something solid. My hand flew up to rub the new sore spot on my head. Turning I came face to bumper with a black Topkick. I'm sure my eyes rivaled the size of dinner plates when my jaw dropped. I looked back at Mikaela.

"Why is Cayden's Topkick here?" I questioned. I think some mild hysteria leaked into my voice.

The ex-criminal smiled guiltily. "Well, that's something he should tell you."

Mechanical sounds came from behind me. I didn't have to look to know it was probably transforming the same way I'd seen Optimus do. However the gruff, commanding voice made the movement mandatory.

"Aren't you going to look at me?"

I didn't want to. I _really_ didn't want to, but the tone of the voice left no room for arguments so I obliged. So like a frightened puppy I turned on all fours. I saw a foot. Traveling upward a found a knee, hip, wide chest and shoulders and farther up I located a head. Incoherent babble came from me as my brain tried to process everything. Needless to say, system malfunctioned and crashed. No way in the seven hells this was real. Right? It was all some horrid nightmare. Though I did recognize him as the one who called out to me in the woods when Sam and I were running for the Camaro.

"What the hell is going on?" my voice was just over a whisper.

"Ah, das a bit of a story yo." One of the monkey-bots behind me commented. How he'd heard me I'll never know.

"I think I got the time."

…………

I sat beside Ironhide's monster foot, knees pulled up to my chest rocking a little. Mikaela and Leo had found some oil lamps and flammable scraps and set trashcan fires amongst the rock walls we were hiding in. Sam was in his own little world. He was deeply upset about Optimus' death. I was still having trouble coming to terms with everything. Cayden wasn't Cayden; in fact he didn't exist. Well he did, but he wasn't human. He was a giant twenty-three foot robot with cannons inside his arms. And a war that had been going on for I don't even know how long.

Leo was having just as hard of a time as me coping with it all. I don't know whose psyche had cracked harder; his or mine. He was at least into the whole alien thing, but I never came much thought to what might be 'out there' ya know. The twins were driving me up wall. Oh how I wished they'd stop speaking in Ebonics. I stood up and stretched. The movement felt good on my sore body though it was still in pain from that car crash. I looked up at Ironhide. He'd been rather avoidant of me after the whole explanation session.

"So why didn't you tell me?"

He looked at me briefly, snorted and shook his head. He reminded me so much of a bull. "Your government wouldn't allow it. Besides, if you hadn't been brought into this, would you have believed me?"

He had a point.

"Probably not."

He grunted again and went back to watching the small flickers inside the bins. Bumblebee made a noise from across the way. I smiled. He was adorable for a robot. I walked over to him and hugged his arm as best I could; he played a part of Bon Jovi's 'Living On A Prayer' over the radio. A violent grumble came from where Ironhide had been sitting. Bee and I looked over as the older Autobot stood up and walked off. Mudflap received a swift kick in the aft from the weapons specialist just for being in the way.

"Was yo problem, man?" he asked, rubbing his assaulted rear.

"I'm gonna turn myself in." came Sam's declaration.

"You're not going to do that."

"Yes I am."

Bee made his own remarks through the radio as the couple argued. The Fallen had commanded that Sam be handed over to him. Poor kid was wanted by every country on the planet. I fell back unto the cold ground as the two bickered about the best way to go about the whole situation. Sam suddenly got an idea. He yelled for Mudflap and Skids.

"Can you guys read this?" he showed them a symbol on his arm.

"Naw, that's ol' school man. Das like Cybertornian." Skids confessed.

Sam slumped against a broken down car. "Great. You can't read."

"What about Ironhide?" I asked.

"Dun count on it." Mudflap voiced. "Das older den tha' ol' bot."

"Well then we gotta find someone that can." He was determined, that much was obvious. But personally I think we were up shit creek without a paddle. Hell, I don't think we even have a canoe.

"Hey! Chia Pet!"

We all looked over to find Leo cautiously walking up from between the twins. He still looked like hell but he'd finally calmed down from earlier.

"I think I may know someone who can help." He said.

"Who?"

"Robo-Warrior."

………….

W00t! double update today cause I've got nothing better to do with my time right now.


	6. Chapter 6

I am guilty of neglect!

THUD!

THUD!

THUDTHUDTHUDTHUD!

I groaned and pushed my tired, achy body up from its position on the backseat. Lazily I pushed the 'down' button for the automatic window. A fidgety Sam, still hiding underneath his so unnoticeably BRIGHT YELLOW hat and hood was staring at me from the outside.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"You gotta come inside. We found Leo's 'Robo-Warrior'."

And with that, the freshman ran back into what looked like a butcher store to me. My head dropped as I put the window back up. I couldn't do this anymore. I didn't want to do it anymore. This isn't my war, so why am I here? Oh yeah. Some nut job with a gun decided to play Call of Duty in my college. I sat up in the seat and buried my face in my hands. Im so over due for some good karma.

"Aren't you going in?"

"AAAHHH!" The sudden deep voice caused me to jump and cling to the front passenger seat like a frightened cat.

"Remove your nails, woman! That hurts!" Yelled the grumpy old-man voice over the radio.

I detached myself. "Sorry."

"Now, answer my question. Are you going in there?"

It may have been the rude way he was speaking to me, it may have been the fact that I just found out aliens exist. Just possibly it was the stress of nearly being squashed, shot, killed and scared practically half to death over the past few days. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, food and proper toiletries and no shower but something in that one moment caused me to snap. I started screaming, kicking and punching the seats like a spoiled diva. Tears started running down my face as I kicked the back of the driver's seat. Ironhide was yelling at me over the radio, but I wasn't hearing him.

"I want to go home!" I shouted. "Take me home right now! Dorothy doesn't like Oz anymore! Where the fuck are my ruby shoes?"

Another punch to the back sear. Another grunt from the Autobot receiving my wrath.

"I can't deal with this crap anymore!"

I probably spent another five minutes kicking, screaming, crying and just over all beating the tar out of Ironhide's insides before I crashed back onto the rear seat. Pathetically, I continued to lightly smack the seat rim as I cried. There was a strange hum inside the cabin as I watched the hologram of 'Cayden' appear in the driver's spot.

"Tani." He started. "If you get your snot all over my back seat, I'll kill you."

I glared at him.

"Now are you going to sit in here all day or are you going to get off your ass and help us?"

"You're not very good at pep-talks, are you?"

The hologram snorted and got out of the vehicle. My door opened and he stared at me expectantly. I wiped my nose on my arm and began to scoot my way across the seat until my legs drooped over the edge. I sat there for a moment before I flung myself at Ironhide's other self and hugged him. He gave me an awkward pat on the back with one hand before dragging me out into the light and placing me on the sidewalk.

I sniffled and looked up at him. "I want a pop-tart."

He rolled his eyes and pushed me into the shop.

Simmons had provided us all with much needed food and showers before we were back on the road again. Wheelie had given us the location to one of the oldest Cybertronians on earth and we were headed there. To the Smithsonian. I'd always wanted to visit, but not under these conditions. Ironhide's holo-self sat in the diver's seat pretending he was, well, driving. I sat shotgun. The tension in the air was thick. No doubt due to my childish break down a few hours ago.

"Ironhide, Im sorry." My head hung in shame. "I shouldn't have taken out my frustration on your…. innards." I wasn't really sure what part of his body the seats were considered.

"Understandable. You have been thrown into a situations not considered normal on your planet."

I smiled a little. I stretched over the center console and gave him a small peck on the cheek before returning to my spot. He was quiet the rest of the ride.

Very, very short. Hopefully I'll get more done.


End file.
